Magic Earning Praise, But They May Not Deserve It Yet

The Orlando Magic are 10 games above .500 for the first time all season long.

A seven-game win streak has helped them move up in the Eastern Conference standings as they try to avoid the play-in tournament for the second season in a row. NBA analyst Zach Lowe has been critical of the Magic in the past, but he is hopeful that the team can turn things around.

"It feels like they've had such a disappointing season because the expectations were so high. Banchero and Franz Wagner have barely played together. It's been an up-and-down season, but here they are kind of finding their defensive identity and their toughness at the right time," Lowe said on Amazon Prime Video.

"Banchero's had the best stretch of his season in the last two or three weeks. They might be a little friskier than we thought. I kind of had written them off because they'd been so just up and down the entire season, but they're finding themselves."

🔮Zach Lowe says Magic are the dark horse of the Eastern Conference playoffs pic.twitter.com/7rlkLTb80A
— Rayshard❼ (M✭GIC 👑 ) (@Rayshard07) March 15, 2026

Magic Rolling in Second Half

The beginning of the Magic's resurgence came at the All-Star break when the team met and had an honest conversation of what has happened, where they are and who they want to be.

Since the All-Star break, the Magic have won 10 of 13 games. Their only losses have come against the Phoenix Suns in double overtime on the road, the Houston Rockets by five points at home, and a matchup against the first-place Detroit Pistons on March 1.

Since then, the Magic have not lost, as they have beaten their last seven opponents. Some games have been tighter than others, but there is a shift in the vibe with how the team is winning these games.

The Magic are imposing their will early in these games and starting off with more energy than they had in the first half of the season.

While they sometimes let their foot off the gas, part of that has to do with the team's strict schedule over the last couple of weeks. Nearly half of the team's games since the All-Star break have been on back-to-backs, but the Magic have been able to prevail despite their difficult schedule.

There are still 16 games left in the regular season for the Magic, but if they play like they have over the last month or so, they should come out victorious in most of those contests. It should lead to a potential top-five seed for the playoffs.